Henrik Bull, architect who restored buildings, dies

Published 4:52 pm, Saturday, December 7, 2013

Henrik Bull had a knack for designing buildings that paired a modern sensibility with his instinct about the physical setting.

Henrik Bull had a knack for designing buildings that paired a modern sensibility with his instinct about the physical setting.

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The historic Colombo Building, located at Columbus and Kearney has been saved by an agreement between City College and the Telegraph Hill Dwellers Association. Seen here in contrast with the Transamerica Pyramid.
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The historic Colombo Building, located at Columbus and Kearney has been saved by an agreement between City College and the Telegraph Hill Dwellers Association. Seen here in contrast with ... more

Photo: Michael Maloney, SFC

Henrik Bull, architect who restored buildings, dies

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Henrik Bull, an architect who loved to ski and wasn't afraid to second-guess himself, died Wednesday in Berkeley. He was 84.

During his long career, Mr. Bull had a knack for designing buildings that paired a modern sensibility with an instinctive grasp of the physical setting, such as his barn-like Bear Valley Visitors Center in Marin County, which serves as a gatehouse of sorts to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

He also was one of the first Bay Area architects to see the merits of restoring older buildings rather than tearing them down.

In 1958, Mr. Bull talked a client into spending $75,000 to buy the Sentinel Building at Kearny Street and Columbus Avenue, then fixed it up. That triangular tower, with its copper bays and bulbous dome, is now one of San Francisco's most beloved landmarks. It is often paired in photographs with the much taller Transamerica Pyramid nearby. Mr. Bull was a leading opponent of that tower after it was proposed in 1969, though he later told The Chronicle: "It's a wonderful building. And what makes it wonderful is everything that we were objecting to."

Architect John Field, a longtime friend, recalled Mr. Bull as "one of the really special, memorable figures in town."

"You always knew what Henrik thought," said Field, who teamed up with Mr. Bull for several years at the firm now known as Bull Stockwell Allen. "Beyond being lots of fun, he did really good work."

Henrik Helkand Bull was born in New York in 1929 but grew up in Vermont, where he first skied at the age of 3. After graduating in 1952with a degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Bull served in the Air Force before moving to San Francisco.

He and his wife, Barbara, settled on Telegraph Hill and he began designing ski cabins that caught the eye of Sunset Magazine and awards juries, as well as what he described proudly to one writer as "simple small houses for middle-income people." Mr. Bull also became involved with the American Institute of Architects and, after his family moved to the East Bay, the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.

In the 1970s his firm moved to a larger scale with an emphasis on resorts. Among the best known of the latter is the Inn at Spanish Bay on the Monterey Peninsula, which opened in 1988.

It was only in the last three years that Mr. Bull stopped coming into his firm's offices regularly. But in October he was there to meet younger members of the 30-person staff. "He talked about the importance of integrity in architecture. ... The event was very sweet," said John Ashworth, a principal at Bull Stockwell Allen.

"He represented a regional sensibility, all about warmth and color and texture," said David Weinstein, who profiled Mr. Bull in his book "Signature Architects of the San Francisco Bay Area." "He definitely enjoyed life."

Mr. Bull is survived by his wife, Barbara; his son, Peter, of Mexico City; his daughter Nina and son-in-law Richard Fishman of Alamo, and two grandchildren. No memorial service has been scheduled.

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